The Soul of Lord Second
by youthfulfox
Summary: When Tobirama died he expected to see his brothers, Itama, Kawarama, and Hashirama in the pure land. Instead he's greeted to the sight of a young boy fiddling around with some kunai. Or Tobirama's soul is somehow bounded to Naruto's. [AU]
1. Chapter 1

_**The Soul of Lord Second**_

 _When Tobirama died he expected to see his brothers, Itama, Kawarama, and Hashirama in the pure land. Instead he's greeted to the sight of a young boy fiddling around with some kunai. Or Tobirama's soul is somehow bounded to Naruto's. AU._

 _Characters: Tobirama, Naruto_

 _Rating T: Hurt/Comfort, Family_

* * *

He couldn't move far from the boy, Tobirama quickly realized. Fifteen, maybe twenty feet at the most. Nowhere near enough for what he wanted to do, and that was investigate. Find out where in the hell he was. It feels like he's in Konoha, something in his gut is telling him he is, but honestly, he has no clue if it's true or not. The forest that they're in is nondescript and trees all look the same to him—

 _Hashirama's probably rolling in his grave right about now._ His elder brother was always sensitive to the _"plight of the trees" …whatever the hell that meant._

Tobirama tried to extend his senses but without the ability to mold chakra that endeavor was completely useless. For almost an hour the former hokage tried to get the young boy's attention, but that too was utterly pointless, for every time he tried to touch the boy—or anything for that matter—his body simply passed through them as if they weren't there…or as if _he_ wasn't there.

He supposed that makes more sense. The last thing he recollects before awakening in the forest were the Gold and Silver Brothers towering above him, wielding what he thought were merely fabled weapons owned by the Sage of Six Paths. He threw his kunai, one he marked with his Flying Raijin seal, as a last desperate act for his survival. He hoped he at the very least brought his team enough time to escape. But that wish was neither here nor there at the moment.

Tobirama concluded that he somehow both survived and died in that encounter. Survived because his soul, his very essence, still seemed to be roaming the world of the living. But also died because his body apparently perished in the fight.

The white-haired man sighed and took a seat on the ground (well not really the ground. He noticed that his spirit never truly touched the floor, he always hovered above it slightly as if there was a second flooring only he could walk/sit upon). Since he was by some means tied to the blond boy, his curiosity on his location will have to wait until the boy left the forest.

Tobirama watched with a smirk on his face as the child readied himself once more. Determination held in bright blue eyes, the boy began throwing kunai at the wooden targets before them. The boy wasn't bad, not at all. He hit the target more often than not, and with a bit of supervision (himself excluded seeing as he couldn't touch, let alone communicate with the boy) he'd be able to hit the bullseye in no time at all.

Watching the young boy brought back fond memories of him teaching Saru, Ko, and Hum. Although when he was teaching his team he got to hit them with his water whips every time they produced substandard results. Saru, in particular, withstood the worst of his water whips. Which is why the little monkey _invented_ the shadow shuriken jutsu (honestly that jutsu was just a play on his shadow clones, but Tobirama let the boy have that victory since he was only 12 years old when he discovered that ninja art).

The second hokage cherished those memories far more than he'd ever be willing to admit.

Over and over again the blond boy—who must've been nearing his sixth or seventh year at life—threw the kunai at the targets and Tobirama admired his resolve. The older man could clearly see the signs of fatigue settling in the young boy, the way his hands cramped, the wounds he received when he pulled the kunai too forcefully out of the wooden targets, but the child kept going despite this.

The minutes passed by easily enough and Tobirama got a front row seat to the youngster becoming better and better. The boy hit the targets every time he threw the kunai and landed a bullseye nearly half the time.

A shadow settled over the clearing and the blond began to pack up. For the first time since meeting the boy Tobirama heard him speak as he counted his kunai, "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10...11?" Tobirama could hear the questioning tone in the kid's voice. _Did he lose some?_ Glancing over at the tree the older man didn't see any laying about. _Perhaps the boy—_

"But I only had 10 when I started...Where did this extra one come from? I don't even remember picking it up," Tobirama looked at the kunai in question.

It was his Kunai.

The one he threw right before he died. The one that was stamped with his Flying Raijin seal.

Is _that_ how he got here?

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 **A/N: Hey guys what's up? So this is my first fanfiction ever, yay to me for finally making one. This is an idea I've been toying around with for the better part of three months. I'm not exactly certain where I want to take this story, so if you guys have any ideas on how you think I should proceed let me know. I don't have a beta so all the mistakes are mine, if you see something spelled wrong go ahead and tell me about it and I'll eventually get around to fixing it. Oh and please review if you like it, just saying "Hey, nice start," would really mean a lot to me.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Youthfulfox**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

His gut was right.

They were in Konoha.

And Tobirama wished they weren't.

The second hokage could only watch in disgust at the treatment the boy received as he walked through the village. The very village he and his elder brother created. While the villagers didn't do anything outright to the boy,their looks and _hushed_ whispering said it all.

They hated this boy. Despised him.

" _That_ kid"

" _That_ child"

" _That_ brat"

" _That Demon—"_

It's how they referred to the boy. Like he wasn't a person, like he was some kind of wild animal _—_

" _Don't go near him!"_

" _Why doesn't he just die!"_

" _I hate him!"_

" _My son! It's all his fault, my son—"_

Tobirama's mind couldn't even begin to fathom, how _a child_ could have possibly garner this much animosity.

 _What did he do?_

Or

 _What did his parents do?_

That would certainly make more sense. What atrocity had his parents committed for the blond child, an innocent, to receive this much hatred?

The only good thing the Senju could take away from this experience was that the boy seemed blissfully unaware of the villagers' revulsion towards him. The blond boy walked with his head held high and a carefree smile on his face. Tobirama wondered how long the child's blissful ignorance would last.

It seemed that Kami was listening to that particular pondering, because as soon as the thought entered his head a large white ball rolled in front of the boy. Knocking softly against his toes the toy dribbled back slightly before coming to a halt.

With a handsome grin on his face the blond boy seized the ball from the ground with both hands and attempted to return the toy to its owner… Only for the small girl to be yanked backwards by her father.

"Leave it," the man said gruffly, looking at the blue-eyed boy as if he was the devil.

"But Tou-chan—!"

"I said _leave it!_ " The man hissed at his daughter. "That boy is... bad... and dangerous and sick, and I don't want you going _anywhere_ near him _. Do you understand!?_ "

"Hai," The girl bowed meekly, pointedly looking away from the blond. All around them the hushed whispering grew more fervent.

"It's _that_ kid,"

"He's always causing trouble,"

"That demon brat—"

"SHH! We're not supposed to talk about it!"

The ball fell lifelessly from the boy's grasp and his face went purposefully blank.

Apparently, the child wasn't nearly as ignorant as Tobirama initially thought. He probably always noticed the stares and whispering, and he simply chose to ignore them. The blond strode away from the motionless toy, never once looking into the crowd of people that parted as he passed them by.

And although his face didn't show a single emotion, the Senju just knew that the boy was profoundly wounded by what just occurred. But then again what child, what _person_ , wouldn't be pained by _that_ encounter. Throughout the entire ordeal Tobirama was merely a spectator, and yet he felt like he was the one who was being scrutinized.

The white haired Senju followed the boy home (not that he had a choice) and wondered what the kid's parents would be like. What kind of monsters must they be for their son to be treated like garbage.

"I'm home," the boy called out softly, and Tobirama waited for a greeting in return, but nothing came. The child didn't look surprised.

 _Absentee parents. Things just keep getting better and better._

Tobirama left the boy's side and looked around the apartment.

It was rather small.

One bedroom, one bath, and a decently sized kitchen. Nothing of real note, other than the state of chaos the apartment was in. Clothes thrown about, empty food containers littering the floor, and unwashed dishes filling the sink.

 _It was as if the boy had no supervision whatso—_

 _One bedroom._

 _There's only one bedroom in this apartment. One bedroom that housed one small, child size bed._

 _He lived alone._

 _And at such a young age too... How on earth did he fend for himself?_

Tobirama returned to the youngster, only to find him staring at himself in front of a full-length mirror. A small frown played on his lips, and it only grew larger as the seconds passed. Soon the boy's bright blue eyes began to water, and the older man was surprised he lasted this long.

Tobirama sighed.

He was never good with children. Especially sad ones, but even _he_ knew a hug would be greatly appreciated in a situation like this... but he couldn't do _anything_. He couldn't speak to the boy, he couldn't touch him, he was completely useless. All he could do was stand here and watch the boy who was moments away from crying—

 _SMACK_

"Don't cry!" The stern command fell from the boy's lips, and Tobirama reeled back in shock as if _he_ was the one that had been struck.

 _SMACK!_

"Don't you dare cry," he hissed at himself, "There's nothing to cry about!" The boy raised his hand again and Tobirama jumped forward, reaching out for the small wrist only to have it slip through his grasp.

 _SMACK_

"You're not a baby! So, don't cry like one!" He struck himself again, and Tobirama gritted his teeth together at his complete uselessness.

He was _Tobirama Senju,_ brother of Hashirama Senju, an unrivaled master at water manipulation, he was hailed as the fastest man alive, he was the Second Lord Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, and yet… here he was—h

Powerless...

Weak...

Unable to stop a young boy from beating his tears into submission. All Tobirama could do was watch in horror as the boy continuously slapped himself until the red welt that blossomed on his cheek split and blood trickled down his face.

"Crying doesn't solve anything," The child panted, "Everyone hates you... they'll always hate you... Crying doesn't help... it never has... so don't... please, please don't cry,"

A tear slipped down the boy's face and he turned away from the mirror in disgust.

"Pathetic,"

The hokage's heart clenched at the boys pained reflections. _He's too young—far too young to be thing like that_. Tobirama kneeled in front of the idle child, taking in the sorrow that was written far too plainly on the boy's face, "You aren't pathetic," he told him. "I don't believe you're pathetic in the slightest,"

The boy heaved a sigh and walked straight through the dead man's kneeling form. "Sometimes I wish I could just..."

"Just what?" The Senju inquired, but the child remained silent. The blond moved mindlessly to his bedroom and fell into the mattress face first.

A few moments later the boy shifted slightly so he could look limply out the window at the darkened sky. Tobirama sat on the floor besides the boy, deciding to watch over the child till he fell asleep.

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 **A/N: Firstly I'd like to thank everyone who read, reviewed, follow, and favorited (is that a word?) the story. You guys are totally awesome. Secondly, I hope Naruto didn't seem too OOC. I actuality believe Naruto would behave like this (i.e the self harm) because if you guys recall during the wave mission, when Kakashi was apologizing to Inari for Naruto's behavior he said something along the lines of,** _I know what he (Naruto) said seems harsh, but Naruto probably told himself the same thing a hundred times, and I never seen him cry before._ **So I thought the verbal and mild physical abuse would fit in with Naruto's characterization.**

 **Let me know how you felt about this chapter, like always I'll appreciate it. Also I'll have chapter 3 uploaded by the same time next week. I'm tryim to update every Tuesday, and I'm really hoping I can stick to that schedule. Anyway,**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **youthfulfox**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3**_

Tobirama turned away from the sleeping child and went out to the terrace he found earlier that day. The second hokage looked upon the village, his home, and his heart clenched.

So much time had passed.

The village hardly looked the way it did in his time, _however long ago that was._ The most notable differences were the additional faces decorating the hokage monument. One belonging to Saru and the other to a man he did not recognize. Tobirama hoped that his former student didn't die in battle the way he had, but rather retired after passing on the mantle to the fourth hokage.

His thoughts returned to the boy he left slumbering in the other room and Tobirama raked a hand through his eternally messy hair. What was his connection to the child? Were they related somehow? Distant relatives? Why was he tethered to this boy? Was it simply because the boy picked up his kunai and that action caused his soul to bound itself to the child? But if that was the case how did the boy even get the kunai in the first place? He didn't die in Konoha, so how did his kunai end up in a Konoha forest?

The dead man groaned.

There were far too many questions, and practically no answers. If there was one thing Tobirama hated, it was being ignorant. Ignorance was a weakness, and he hated being weak—

From the corner of his eye Tobirama caught movement and readied himself for a fight, only to recollect that he was merely a ghost, a phantom, that could do nothing.

A man (a young one judging by his lithe form) landed silently in a crouch position on the terrace floor, silver hair swaying gently. The young man rose from the ground and Tobirama caught sight of a familiar dog mask covering the other male's face.

 _ANBU_

 _So, they still existed._

The second hokage watched as the unknown male, pulled a senbon from his pouch, and with what looked like practiced ease, opened the door leading into the child's bedroom. A moment of panic fell over the older man. An ANBU agent's primary skill was assassination, so what was this ANBU doing sniffing around a child?

Has his village _devolved_ so much that it would send out an assassin to _kill_ a small child?

The ANBU agent crept into the child's room, and Tobirama followed closely behind. The door shut soundlessly after the silver haired man, leaving only traces of moonlight from the window to illuminate the living quarters. The room was deathly silent, and the older man felt dread fill his being.

 _If he dares lays a hand on this child I'll kill him_ , Tobirama thought furiously. How he'd stop the man, Tobirama does not know, but there was no way in hell he was going to allow this boy to be slayed right before his eyes. The seconds ticked by slowly and in that time the mysterious man did nothing. He just stood there, masked face trained on the sleeping boy.

Then, without any prompting, the silverette moved forward, dropping to his knees to kneel beside the sleeping blond. His breathing slowly became ragged as the moments passed, and almost sound pained.

"I'm sorry Naruto-kun," he apologized, and Tobirama was thrown in for a loop.

He was _… sorry?_ _Sorry for what?_

" _I'm so sorry_. I know I don't deserve it, but please forgive me," The silverette begged with his head bowed. "Please, forgive me for neglecting my duties to you, to sensei, but I'm—I'm nothing but a failure. My being here now, this close, is probably tainting you." He whispered ruefully, raising his head to look at the boy once more.

The masked man reached out to the boy— _Naruto_ —with his left hand and Tobirama tensed at the action, but the ANBU's motives were innocent. Gently, the masked man brushed away blond tresses that fell into the boy's eyes. Naruto shifted slightly and Tobirama felt a slight tingling sensation in his ghostly fingertips. He couldn't help but wonder if the child's hair felt as soft as it looked.

"I wish I was better," The man confessed, softly stroking Naruto's cheek. "I wish I could be here for you, like sensei was for me. I wish I could've kept you. I wish… they'd _see_ _you_ for what you are, a hero. Our savior,"

 _Hero?_

 _Savior?_

 _This small scrap of a child?_

"I have so many wishes, so many wants, and chances are that none of them will come true," he said despairingly, his grief almost palatable. The silverette turned his head towards the window and let out a sad sigh. "I have to go now, Naruto-kun. I have a mission to get to and I'm already late as it is, but don't worry, I promise I'll come back and watch over you some more,"

The shadowy man rose from the ground, allowing his fingers one last graze along the boy's face before pulling away entirely. And as quickly as the silver haired, dog mask wearing man entered their lives, he left. Leaving behind even more questions for the second hokage to ponder.

The boy was a hated _hero_ , a despised _savior._

"Just _who_ are you, Naruto-kun?" Tobirama questioned the sleeping boy, and predictably he received no reply.

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I had a hard time writing it and I'm not too sure how I feel about it, but this chapter was necessary. Anyway chapter 4 is under construction and will be ready for you by this time next week.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **youthfulfox**


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